The present invention relates to a specimen-exchanging apparatus and, more particularly, to a specimen-exchanging apparatus for apparatuses requiring vacuum such as, for example, a scanning electron microscope, an electron beam lithography apparatus and the like.
In a scanning electron microscope, an electron beam lithography apparatus, an ion beam lithography device, a dry etching device, a sputtering device and the like, the required treatment is carried out in relation to a specimen in a specimen chamber situated under a vacuum state.
However, conventional specimen-exchanging apparatuses of these kinds of devices are arranged to exchange a specimen by threading a specimen-exchanging bar into a threaded receiver and, under this state, advancing and retreating the specimen-exchanging bar.
Accordingly, it is required to rotatably move the specimen-exchanging bar into a specimen holder and linear movement of advancing and retreating the specimen holder between a specimen-exchanging chamber and a specimen chamber. As a result, a problem arises in that dust is created by virtue of the movements, with the dust becoming attached on a specimen surface. Further, another problem resides in the fact that it is impossible to carry out dry vacuumizing, since it is necessary to employ an O-ring and grease oil for a vacuum sealing member to enable advancing and retreating of the specimen-exchanging bar.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a specimen-exchanging apparatus which is suitable for preventing a creation of dust during operation of the apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a specimen-exchanging apparatus which is suitable for dry vacuumizing.
According to the present invention, there is provided a specimen-exchanging apparatus comprising a vacuumized specimen chamber, a specimen-exchanging chamber connected to said specimen chamber with the specimen-exchanging chamber being constructed so as to be, openable to ambient, valve means for screening the connection between the specimen chamber and the specimen exchanging chamber and releasing the screening, exhausting means for carrying out the exhaust of said specimen-exchanging chamber, means for linearly removing a specimen holder for retaining a specimen between said specimen-exchanging chamber and said specimen chamber and means provided in said removing means and for loading and unloading said specimen holder to said removing means.
The above-stated objects and features and further objects and features of the present invention will be appparent from the following description with reference to the drawings.